Nissan Reveals New "Pop-Up Engine Hood" Safety Technology

02.08.2007 – 13:30

Tokyo (ots/PRNewswire) - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has developed an
innovative "pop-up engine hood" to help reduce head impact injuries
in the event of a pedestrian collision. The new safety feature will
debut on the new Skyline coupe, set for release this fall in Japan.

The concept of the pop-up hood is based on a very simple
principle: to help minimize serious head injury by creating more
space to avoid collision with hard objects. In the case of a
car-pedestrian collision, the engine hood is designed to pop-up
instantly to help create a protective buffer space between the hood
and the engine components underneath.

Upon impact with a pedestrian and based on the severity of that
impact, a sensor incorporated in the bumper activates the pop-up
control-unit which in turn will trigger an explosive actuator that
raises the hood.

The pop-up hood also allows car designers greater freedom in
having to balance the aesthetic of a streamlined hood design with the
safety benefits of adding more protective space over the engine
components.

On a global level, Nissan is committed to build safer vehicles
equipped with advanced safety technologies. In Japan, the company's
safety vision is to halve the number of traffic fatalities or serious
injuries involving Nissan vehicles by 2015 compared with the level in
1995.

Nissan is working to develop advanced technologies for proactive
safety, collectively known as the Safety Shield. The state of a car
is studied across six stages, from normal driving through
post-accident conditions, whereby the most optimal barriers are
introduced at each stage to help deliver the best possible protection
to the driver and passengers.